Approximately 40,000,000 tons of waste are being dumped every week – that’s plenty of waste that continues to endanger the environment. Fortunately, there are ways for you to be of help to reduce waste. Here are just some of these tips:
Buy products in bulk
When shopping or buying groceries, it would be best to do so in bulk. Note that bulk products have minimal wrapping and packaging, which is good for the environment. It lets you save money, too.
Search for bulk items constructed from recycled materials, particularly certain products, like napkins, tissues, and toilet paper. Watch out for double packaging even when buying in bulk, too, as there are individually packed bulk items that were only packed again then marketed as bulk.
Use reusable bags
When visiting stores, make it a point to bring reusable bags for your purchases. Reduce the number of plastic bags you use and take home, too. Do not forget to bring some cloth bags with you when visiting the grocery or any other store so you can use them for your purchases, instead of plastic bags.
Compost
Composting is starting to gain traction nowadays and a lot of cities have developed programs related to it that can be implemented in schools and households. If unfortunately, your area or neighborhood is lacking in composting programs, it is a great idea to make your own.
Make a compost bin and use compost as garden soil. Your simple decision to compost all food in your household can help in significantly reducing the amount of waste dumped into the landfills. It also helps in speeding up the process of decomposition.
Recycle
You should also start learning more about recycling, which is an effective solution for waste reduction. If possible, start buying products that use recyclable packaging or those constructed from recycled materials. Make it a point to read product labels all the time so you will know what you can and can’t recycle. Also, ensure to wash the items you have thoroughly and sort recyclables properly when appropriate.
Embrace paperless options
Going paperless is also an effective way to save paper and reduce waste. A lot of establishments nowadays, especially banks, allow for online transactions to reduce the need for paper. Online banking even rose in prominence, providing paperless options for transactions, including bank statements. This results in significant savings in paper.
You can also save paper by saying no to flyers. Just let mail carriers know that you don’t want flyers around your home so they will stop delivering them to you. You may want to check out online flyers instead to learn about the recent deals offered by certain brands and companies.
Use reusable items
Note that plastics that you can only use once are among the biggest contributors to waste. Aside from producing unnecessary waste, these plastics are not also recyclable. That said, replace them with reusable items – among which are reusable straws, water bottles, grocery bags, and wax wraps for foods.
You may also want to start using glass containers and jars when storing foods. Other reusable and replaceable items you can use are silicone mats for baking and cooking and silicone cups or muffin trays.
Conclusion
All the tips here may just look simple, but they have major contributions when it comes to reduce waste significantly in the long run.
